Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says the United States should have the most "formidable, fierce, military in the history of mankind" with the ability to defeat ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran within 10 days.
"Well the easiest thing in the world is to go back to what we should have or could have done, but presidents don't get to back in time like Marty McFly and live back to the future," the former governor of Arkansas said in an interview with American Heartland with Dr. Grace while discussing if he thought invading Iraq was a mistake.
"We have to work with the facts we have. So there is no point in speculating, should we have done it? I think the question is, 'what do we do in light of the situation we are in?'"
Huckabee said the ultimate solution is for America's military to be the strongest "in the history of mankind" with the ability to defeat threats like "ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians, whatever it is" in "a 10-day exercise."
"And here is what we have to do: America has to have the most formidable, fierce, military in the history of mankind," stated Huckabee.
"So when we have a threat, whether it is ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians, whatever it is, we make it very clear that we plan to push back and destroy that threat to us. And we won't take 10 years doing it, we hopefully won't even take 10 months, it will be like a 10 day exercise, because the fierceness of our forces would mean that we can absolutely guarantee the outcome of this film. That's how America needs to operate in the world of foreign affairs, and foreign policy."
Huckabee added he would not take grounds troops off the table to fight ISIS.
"We have to leave that as an option," he said. "We can't leave anything off the table."
Here's the full transcript:
QUESTIONER - In fact it was the void that he created in Iraq that led to the current crisis that we face there in the Middle East. Governor, what would you do about ISIS, and also tell me, looking back, do you think getting into the Iraq War was a mistake all together?
HUCKABEE - Well the easiest thing in the world is to go back to what we should have or could have done, but presidents don't get to back in time like Marty McFly and live back to the future. We have to work with the facts we have, so there is no point in speculating should we have done it? I think the question is, what do we do in light of the situation we are in. And here is what we have to do. America has to have the most formidable, fierce, military in the history of mankind. So when we have a threat, whether it is ISIS, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians, whatever it is, we make it very clear that we plan to push back and destroy that threat to us. And we won't take 10 years doing it, we hopefully won't even take 10 months, it will be like a 10 day exercise, because the fierceness of our forces would mean that we can absolutely guarantee the outcome of this film. That's how America needs to operate in the world of foreign affairs, and foreign policy.
QUESTIONER - Now am I hearing boots on the ground, here. Is that boots on the ground. American troops on the ground. I've been saying from the start, I've been saying for almost a year now, we've got to send the troops back in and that is all there is to it.
HUCKABEE - We have to leave that as an option. We can't leave anything off the table. The mistake that this president has made is announcing all of the things that we don't want to. I'd be very clear. We are going to announce you the outcome, we you lose, exactly how we do it and which levels of force we use to get it done. You'll find out when you are on the losing end of it. We would lose whatever it takes, that would include ground forces, but we would do whatever is necessary for Americans to succeed at putting down this threat and making sure it's no longer a threat to citizens of this country.